艹艹艹
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AFP: Multiple countries and organizations, including the US, the EU and the UK, have announced new sanctions against Russia for its actions toward Ukraine. Are there any circumstances whatsoever in which China would do the same?
Hua Chunying: Apparently you lack basic knowledge of the Chinese government’s policy. Our position is that sanctions are never fundamentally effective means to solve problems. We consistently oppose all illegal unilateral sanctions.
According to data released by the US Treasury, the US’ sanctions use has increased ten times over the past 20 years. The previous US administration imposed as many as 3,800 sanctions, which means wielding the stick of sanctions three times per day on average. Since 2011, the US has imposed more than 100 sanctions on Russia. However, have the US sanctions solved any problem? Is the world a better place because of those sanctions? Will the Ukraine issue resolve itself thanks to the US sanctions on Russia? Will European security be better guaranteed thanks to the US sanctions on Russia? We hope relevant sides will give this some serious thought and strive to resolve issues through dialogue and consultation.
I would also like to point out that the illegal unilateral sanctions by some countries including the US has caused severe difficulties to relevant countries’ economy and livelihood. When handling the Ukraine issue and relations with Russia, the US mustn’t harm the legitimate rights and interests of China and other parties.
China Daily: A few US media outlets believe that China’s remarks and position on Ukraine contradict the principle of respecting state sovereignty and territorial integrity that China always champions. Do you agree?
Hua Chunying: China’s position on the Ukraine issue is consistent and stays unchanged.
China’s remarks are in line with our position that regional hotspot issues should be resolved through dialogue and consultation. China always upholds objectivity and fairness, stands for peace and justice, and decides its position based on the merits of the matter concerned. We believe that all countries should settle international disputes in a peaceful way in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Those who accuse China of violating the principle of respecting state sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Ukraine issue either harbor ulterior motives or are misguided by misrepresentation.
Reason and causality are important when trying to understand things. There is a complex historical context on the Ukraine issue and the current situation is the result of the interplay of many complicated factors. In order to have an objective understanding of the situation and seek a reasonable and peaceful settlement, it is necessary to learn the whole story on the Ukraine issue and properly address each other’s legitimate security concerns on the basis of equality and mutual respect. Certain countries should ask themselves: When the US drove five waves of NATO expansion eastward all the way to Russia’s doorstep and deployed advanced offensive strategic weapons in breach of its assurances to Russia, did it ever think about the consequences of pushing a big country to the wall?
Under the current circumstances, the door to a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine issue is not completely shut. We hope relevant parties concerned can stay cool-headed and rational, and commit themselves to a peaceful resolution through negotiation in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China will continue to promote peace talks in its own way. We welcome and encourage all efforts dedicated to advancing diplomatic settlement of the issue.
